On Sunday, April 6, the United States Coast Guard flew an infant with a breathing problem from a port in the Bahamas to Miami Children’s Hospital. The infant was onboard Royal Caribbean’s The Enchantment of the Seas in Coco Cay, the Bahamas when it started having difficulty breathing. Apparently, the
Florida leads the nation with more than 900,000 registered boating vessels. With that many boats in the water, there are bound to be a lot of accidents. To be classified as a “reportable” boating accident, the event must meet at least one of the following five criteria: a person dies,
A couple of weeks ago, I received a call from a passenger on a cruise ship whose property was stolen while on board. After hearing her side of the story, I asked if she could send me her passenger ticket and agreement of passage. Low and behold, as with EVERY
Back in October, a six-year-old boy drowned in a pool on the Carnival Victory. Earlier this month, it was reported that a four-year-old boy drowned and a six-year-old boy was revived, both on the Norwegian Breakaway. Apparently, the ship’s emergency medical team responded and administered CPR, but only the older
In our previous post discussing the basics of maritime salvage, we touched upon the fundamentals of the salvage award. The following information gives a more precise account of these points with emphasis on salvage awards, jurisdiction issues, maritime liens, and other relevant Florida statutes. The information provided here is quite
It has happened again: the cruise industry takes yet another hit. Royal Caribbean just ended a ship’s 10-day trip due to hundreds of passengers and crew members becoming sick. On Sunday, the Explorer of the Seas was boarded by officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
It is the well-entrenched admiralty law of the United States that, as set forth by former Chief Justice Marshall of the United States Supreme Court, if property is exposed to peril or hazard at sea and is “saved by the voluntary exertion of any persons whatsoever,…a very ample award will
I often get calls from prospective clients wishing to collect money owed to them for services rendered in connection with the marine industry. Sadly, I have to advise some of these clients that because they did not get their agreement in writing, the cost of filing a suit or other
Lionfish are an incredibly beautiful, yet destructive and dangerous, invasive fish now thriving off the Atlantic coast from the Florida Keys up to North Carolina. Originally from the Western Pacific, lionfish were somehow released into the Southern Atlantic and are currently thriving as some estimates purport a population growth of
